Door holder



Jan. 30, 1962 J. GULAS, sR

DOOR HOLDER Filed Jan. 6, 1960 Fig. 5. I

INVENTOR John Gulas 55 BY I WM szazq,

his ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,019,044 DOOR HOLDER John Gulas,Sr., 4401 Wells St., Weirton, W. Va. Filed Jan. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 753Claims. (Cl. 292---275) The present invention relates to devices formaintaining an edge mounted hinged closure member in fully or partiallyopen position and, more specifically, to such a device which permits theposition of the closure member to be readily changed.

Door constructions such as found in residences and commercialstructures, comprise a door frame within which is mounted a door havingone side edge pivotally connected to the frame for opening and closingmovements. Such a door mounting is customarily provided with latch meansto retain the door in fully closed position but, no means is providedfor retaining the door in partially open position for ventilation orother purposes. Various other forms of hinged closure members forcupboards, lockers, windows and chests are frequently required to beheld in partially open, fully opened or fully closed positions.

One object of the invention is to provide a holding device whichautomatically and frictionally retains the hinged closure member in anydesired position between fully open and fully closed positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holding device of thecharacter described with means for adjusting the frictional resistanceof the device to change of position of the hinged closure member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holding device of thecharacter described which may be mounted within a hinged closure memberwhere desired.

These and other objects will be made apparent from the followingdescription of the invention and from the drawing forming a partthereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portion of a door frame and doorembodying the holding device;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the holding device;

FIG. 4 shows a side elevation of the holding device;

FIG. 5 shows an end elevation of the holding device;

FIG. 6 shows an end elevation of the means for attachment of the deviceto a door frame;

FIG. 7 shows an end elevation of the means for attachment of the deviceto the door;

FIG. 8 shows a front elevation of the friction member; and

FIG. 9 shows a side elevation of the friction member.

Referring now to the drawings, a closure member such as door 1 isconnected in the usual manner to a door frame 2 by hinge members 3mounted flush with the adjacent faces of the door and frame and spacedalong one vertical edge of the door. The holding device includes a bodyportion 4 for mounting within the door I, a member 5 for attachment tothe frame 2 and a flexible member 6 attached to member 5 and slidablymovable within body portion 4 and door 1. As shown in FIG. 2 of the drawing the door 1 has an inwardly extending recess 7 of a depth to receivethe inner end of flexible member 6 and of a vertical height to receivethe said body portion 4.

The body portion 4 comprises an end plate 8 and spaced side walls 9connected at one of their edges by an arcuate bottom wall 10. Theopposite vertical edges of side walls 9 are connected by a rear wall 11and to the adjacent face of end plate 8. The end plate 8 extendslaterally of the side walls 9 for engagement with the hinged face of thedoor, as best shown in FIG. 3. Openings 12 in door plate 8 receivesuitable fastening members securing the end plate to the door and retainsaid body portion 4 within the door recess 7. Opening 13 extendingthrough plate 8 ice is of sufficient size to freely pass the flexiblemember 6 moving longitudinally within the arcuate body bottom wall 10.The member 5 has suitable apertures 14 therein for reception offastening members securing the member to door frame 1. One end of member6 is secured to member 5 by any suitable means. As shown in FIGS. 4 and6, member 5 has an aperture 15 therein through which one end of member 6extends and is prevented from being withdrawn by a member 16 secured tomember 6 and overlapping the adjacent face of member 5.

The adjustable means within body portion 4 frictionally engaging themember 6, comprises a pivotally mounted yoke member 17 having a frictionmember 18 mounted thereon and an adjust-ing screw assembly. The yoke 17comprises a pair of spaced side walls 20 having the friction member 13secured between them adjacent the lower ends thereof by screw fasteners21, with the friction member depending below the side Walls 20. .Asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the member 18 has a reduced portion 18a disposedbetween yoke walls 20 and a depending portion 18b extending below andsubstantially in the outer planes of said walls 20. Aligned apertures 22in the side walls 9 of portion 4, the yoke 17 and friction member 13receive a pivot pin 23 for pivotally mounting the yoke and frictionmember within portion 4. Depending friction member 18b has a downwardlyinclined bottom face portion 18c which has a longitudinally extendingconcavity 18d therein for reception of the upper face of flexible member6. Extending between the upper ends of the spaced yoke walls 20 is theshank 2.4 of the adjusting screw assembly. Shank 24 has mounted thereon,adjacent wall 8, a helical wound compression spring 25 with a bearingwasher 26 at one end thereof abutting the spaced walls 20 of yoke member17 between which the shank 24 extends to a journal support in end wall11, the head 19 of shank 24 being mounted in wall 8. Between the yokemember 17 and wall 11, the shank 24 has mounted thereon a second washer26a abutting the yoke, 21 second compression spring 2511 and a nut 27spaced from end wall 11 and compression spring 2511.

The holding device of the invention has been disclosed and described asmounted within a door hinged within a door frame. Obviously, the bodyportion 4 of the device may be mounted within or upon the door framewith the plate 5 secured to the door, if desired. This means of mountingthe holding device is suitable where the door or other hinged closuremember is relatively thin such as locker doors, lids on floor chests andwindows mounted for hinging in a horizontal plane, for example.

The purpose of the device of the invention is to maintain a door orother hinged closure member in closed, open or any intermediate positionby frictional resistance to sliding movement of flexible member 6relative to body portion 4 thereof, while permitting manual movement ofthe door by a sufficient force to overcome said frictional resistance.The device when mounted, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, may have thefrictional resistance to relative movement between flexible member 6 andfriction member 18 varied at will by suitable rotation of adjustingscrew 24.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8 of the drawing, the flexible member 6may be of any suitable material, as shown it is a helical closely woundwire spring providing a substantially continuous outer surface. Member 6has a close but free running fit within the arcuate bottom wall it) ofportion 4. The yoke 17 is pivotally mounted within portion 4 and ismovable relative thereto upon suitable rotation of screw shank 24. Thesprings 25, 25a and washers 26, 26:: are slidably mounted upon shaft 24and the nut 27 is provided with internal threads engaging with thethreads of screw shank 24. Since the head and end of the shank 24 arejournaled in the opposite end walls of portion 4 and spring 25a isinitially compressed by nut 27, rotation of shank 24 in one directioncauses nut 27 to move towards the yoke 17 further compressing spring25:: which in turn acts on adjacent washer 26a and the yoke 17 to rotatethe yoke towards spring 25. Similar y rotation of shank 24 in theopposite direction causes nut 27 to move away from yoke 17 reducing thecompression in spring 25a and spring 25 rotates yoke 17 towards end wall11 of portion 4. This rotation of yoke 17 upon its pivot 22 is utilizedto increase or decrease the bearing pressure of member 18 upon member 6.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 8 and 9 pivot pin 22 of yoke 17 is to one side ofthe vertical center line thereof. The bottom face 18c of the frictionmember 18 slopes downwardly and has a concavity 18d parallel to face 180and preferably shaped to conform to the arcuate top face of member 6.When yoke 17 is inclined to the left as in FIG. 4 to dispose theconcavity 18d parallel to the top surface of member 6, the member 18exerts minimum pressure upon member 6. Rotation of screw shank 24 topivot yoke 17 to the right, increases the pressure of member 13 uponmember 6 and increases the frictional resistance against relativemovement between members 6 and 18. Such adjustment also providescompensation for Wearing of friction member 18.

I claim:

1. A holding device providing adjustable resistance to a closure memberhingedly mounted upon a supporting member for movement relative thereto,comprising a body portion recessed into an exposed face on one of saidmembers adjacent said hinge mounting, a flexible member mounted on theother of said members and extending towards said body portion, alignedapertures in said body portion for passage of said flexible mernberthrough said body portion, a yoke pivotally mounted intermediate itsends withinsaid body portion above said flexible member receivedtherein, a friction member mounted on one end of said yoke in engagementwith said flexible member moving within the body portion, and meansrotatably mounted with said body portion engaging the opposite end ofthe yoke and accessible from an exposed face of said body portion forrotation of the yoke upon said pivot to regulate the resistance ofthefriction member to relative movement betweenthe latter member and theflexible member.

2. A holding device providing adjustable resistance to movement of adoor hingedat-one vertical edge within a supporting frame, comprising abody portion recessed into said vertical dooredge andsecured thereto, aflexible member secured to the adjacent portion of said frame andextending towards said body portion, aligned openings in said bodyportion receiving said flexible member for movement through the bodyportion, a friction member pivotally mounted within said body portionand continuously engaging said flexible member, and means on said bodyportion adjacent said door edge for imparting pivotal movement to thefriction member for advancing the friction member into engagement withsaid flexible member.

3. The holding device as defined in claim 2, wherein said body portionhas a surface below said friction member resisting deflection of theflexible member.

4. The holding device as defined in claim 3 wherein said friction memberpivotal mounting is disposed to one side of the longitudinal center lineof said member and the flexible member engaging face thereof slopeslongitudinally of the plane of said face towards the opposite side ofsaid longitutdinal center line.

5. A holding device providing adjustable resistance to a hingedlymounted door member moving relative to a door frame member, comprising abody portion mounted with the one member, flexible means mounted on theother said member and extending therefrom towards said body portion,said body portion having spaced side walls, connecting end Walls and anarcuate bottom wall, aligned apertures in said end walls above saidbottom wall receiving said flexible means moving through said bodyportion over said bottom wall, a yoke disposed between said housing sidewalls, a pivotal support for said yoke intermediate the ends thereof onsaid side walls, said pivotal support being disposed to one side of thelongitudinal center line through said yoke, a friction member mounted onsaid yoke below said pivotal support and having a bottom face thereon aportion of which continuously engages the adjacent face of said flexiblemeans, saidfriction member bottom face sloping upwardly away from saidflexible means, and means mounted in said body portion end walls inengagement with said yoke for adjusting the pressure of said frictionmember against said flexible means by moving said sloping frictionalmember face towards said flexible means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS928,367 De Witt July 20, 1909 2,106,369 Auld Jan. 25, 1938 2,5 50,626Vollmer' Apr. 24, 1951

